✅ Daily Market Analysis - 02 MAY 2024

Economic events:

USA - Initial Jobless Claims
Eurozone - HCOB Eurozone Manufacturing PMI (Apr)
Eurozone - ECB's Lane Speaks

U.S. equity markets saw a partial recovery subsequent to the Federal Reserve's choice to maintain interest rates at their current levels on Wednesday. Additionally, the Fed disclosed intentions to commence a gradual tapering of its balance sheet reduction initiative, commonly referred to as quantitative tightening, beginning in the coming month. As a result, the S&P 500 index made a modest gain of 0.1%, while the NASDAQ Composite index advanced by 0.2%. Furthermore, the Dow Jones Industrial Average exhibited notable strength, surging by 179 points, equivalent to a 0.50% increase.




NDX, SPX, and DJI indices daily chart


The Federal Reserve opted to maintain its key interest rates within the 5.25% to 5.5% range, signaling a potential prolongation of elevated rates owing to the slower-than-expected progress in addressing inflationary pressures. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) highlighted insufficient headway toward achieving the targeted 2 percent inflation rate in recent months.

Nevertheless, the FOMC announced plans to initiate a reduction in its holdings of Treasury securities, commencing in June with a reduction of approximately $25 billion per month from the current pace of $60 billion. This decision follows recent labor market data indicating a slight imbalance, with job openings reaching a three-month low in March. Despite this, April saw private sector job gains exceeding economists' projections.

Market focus now shifts to the imminent release of the nonfarm payrolls report scheduled for Friday, with expectations of a robust addition of 243,000 jobs to the U.S. economy in April.

In currency markets, the EUR/USD pair continued its upward trajectory on Thursday, propelled by prevailing market optimism favoring risk-sensitive currencies like the Euro. This upbeat sentiment may be attributed in part to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's dovish commentary on Wednesday. However, the Eurozone faces challenges due to a comparatively more dovish stance from the European Central Bank compared to the Federal Reserve. Recent inflation data from the Eurozone showed stability in April, aligning with expectations.

EUR/USD daily chart

Moreover, core inflation witnessed a decline, fueling speculation regarding a potential interest rate reduction by the European Central Bank (ECB) in June. Thursday also marks the release of the final HCOB Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index data, with market expectations aligning with preliminary figures. This index serves as a leading indicator, offering insights into business activity within the Eurozone manufacturing sector.

In contrast, the Japanese Yen faced notable selling pressure during the Asian session on Thursday, retracting from its over two-week high against the US Dollar observed the preceding day. Initial reactions to rumors of Japanese authorities intervening once again, marking the second intervention this week to support the domestic currency, quickly waned amid expectations of a sustained wide US-Japan rate differential. Furthermore, a generally positive risk sentiment surrounding US equity markets serves as a significant factor undermining the safe-haven appeal of the JPY.

USD/JPY daily chart

In the early Asian trading hours, the USD/CAD pair persists in its downward trajectory around 1.3730. Late on Wednesday, Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem reaffirmed the central bank's confidence in an ongoing reduction in inflation. Macklem indicated that the BoC is nearing the point of deliberating rate cuts, underscoring that the central bank is not bound to mimic the Federal Reserve's strategies. He emphasized that higher rates in Canada are demonstrating greater efficacy compared to the United States.

USD/CAD daily chart

Amid mounting speculation among traders, there is growing anticipation that the Bank of Canada may opt for interest rate cuts in June, prompted by Canada's economic deceleration in the initial quarter of this year. Notably, Canada's GDP exhibited a subdued expansion of 0.2% month-on-month in February, a slowdown from the preceding 0.5% figure and below the market's projected 0.3% growth. Additionally, according to S&P Global on Wednesday, the Canadian Manufacturing PMI descended to 49.4 in April and 49.8 in March, falling short of the market consensus of 50.2.

Despite lackluster figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, including weaker-than-expected Trade Balance and Building Permits data, the Australian Dollar persists in its strengthening trend on Thursday. The AUD/USD pair garners support from the prevailing positive market sentiment, buoyed by dovish remarks issued by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Wednesday.

AUD/USD daily chart

The ascent of the Australian Dollar finds its roots in the hawkish stance adopted by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), anticipated to uphold elevated interest rates throughout 2024. Additionally, last week's domestic inflation figures surpassing expectations have fueled speculation that the RBA could defer any potential interest rate cuts.

Traders are eagerly awaiting the release of several key economic indicators from the United States on Thursday, including weekly Initial Jobless Claims, Nonfarm Productivity, and Factory Orders. These data releases are poised to provide additional clarity regarding the present condition of the US economy.